Noam Chomsky + Robert Trivers

In the 1970s, a Harvard class taught by Robert Trivers ignited a controversy that would escalate into the "sociobiology wars." Across town at MIT, Noam Chomsky had earned a reputation as a leading opponent of the Vietnam war. Throughout those pivotal years, and in the following decades, the two explored similar ideas, although from different perspectives. Long aware of each other's work, they had never met until a couple of months ago, when they sat down to compare notes on some common interests: deceit and self-deception.

To read the full Salon, orderScience is Culture: Conversations at the New Intersection of Science + Society - out October 12.